So I see your a glass-half-empty kind of guy. Noted. 

You know I hate you.  You know that, right?   
I'm gonna search for you.   I will find you.  And when I do.....ohhhh, MAN!....you are gonna get One STRONGLY worded letter!   Mark my word!  Your going to need a dictionary.  Your gonna need a therapist!
And most likely gonna need a hand writing expert.....I'll admit...my penmanship could be better....um....I'll type it.....yeah....that would be best....

And while your reading it I'm gonna switch all your lightbulbs to long life florencent bulbs!  So, there!

I don't know what that has to do with anything ...but the environment is important....I mean....as long as I'm there...... 



 

Sofa and cabinet sold!
Sofa got $1500.  Priced low since we had no where to put it.  Standing on end in hallway....

and antique dealer bought Hoosier for $300+$300 store credit. (basically if he finds a small one like what I want he'll give it to me)

Guns are on consignment at pawn shop and coin shop gave $280 for coins.


She's ready now to start to actually research things and list properly. Try and make money.

We had to grab the easiest high dollar items first and sell low because she needed money fast.  Cost of paying off locker, truck, dump, gas....she ran out of savings and was starting to use credit cards.  Still about $300 in the hole but handing her $2000 relieved a lot of her stress.


 

For all those who don't believe people keep high value items in storage units.....


As I've posted elsewhere, I've been on the look out for a Hoosier Cabinet to restore.  (to keep for myself)

Old co-worker/ pseudo girlfriend (still good friends) called last week and said her deceased mother has one in storage that I can have if once they load moving  truck I'd drive it....they are scared to.

Wasn't what I was looking for but helped out anyway.....

Turns out they didn't even know about storage unit until the lawyer was going thu old bills and called facility.  It was just going into the process to be auctioned.   

So open it and it is trashed.   This did not look good.  Lots of stuff but all boxes were water damaged. Place smelled.  I'm thinking this is, just from being so full, a $500 locker.

Hidden behind stacks of boxes;
there is the Hoosier ($700-$1000). Which you could see part of but didn't look like anything good
Brand new leather couch, still in original shipping plastic, and delivery reciept with price of $6500
Antique leather topped end tables with not even a scratch on them!
And.....the ladies safe.  Which ended up great for my friend since it was all investment papers.  Bonds. CDs.   Nothing we could have turned in.    But had about $400 in coins (retail, not sure what she'll get for them)

But the boxes?
OMG!   Thirty high end purses in like new condition.  23 pairs of high heals still in box and lowest price tag was $180.  Big box of scarves that my friend said sell used for $20-$30 each. 

Ton of other stuff.  Clothes, household, high end kitchen stuff...



And some of your holy grails was found too!   Gold and guns!

Okay, not much.  Piece here and there.  Few Tiffany pieces but the dime-a-dozen, low price stuff.  Pretty sure one bracelet is even fake.  But all told I'm guessing at $500-$1000 in resale value.....no clue on scrap value.

And same with guns.  Got a big smile when I found a derringer ....but it's new. They sell for $150 on the high end.
Other was a .380 that you can get for $100 used.



Anyways, we did a mental price count, totally conserviive, low end, price to sell......and still we figure she has an easy $10,000


Ton to go thru.  So much is water damaged.  Top boxes are all mice dropping and chewed up stuff.

Thought I'd give a little inspiration that thre are still good units out there slipping thru the cracks.
Another month or unobservant attorney and this one would have been ours!



Now it's just negotiating price on my services to sell it all!   

I don't know a legit way as far as the law but......

Back story: Room flooded, bed on floor, mold, smelled.

Internet search.

Warm water and carpet cleaner.  Used sponge to wipe clean. Then vacuumed. (very important to vacuume to get stuff out, like mold spores.  I used shop vac for best suction.)

Then I soaked it with rubbing alcohol useing spray bottle.   Set in sun.
That gets deep to clean but evaporates out pretty fast.  In a day.

Then misted with bleach/water.  Dried in sun.

Fabreezed the crap outa it.

Came clean and doesn't smell......

Total work time is all of 30 minutes.   Total time 2days but would depend on how fast you can get it to dry.  Except for rubbing alcohol you never want it "wet".

Cost: about $3

Good summary.

Loss of monies is always what people think drives way newbies but I think it's the hard work and time commitment.   I think a lot of newbies would stay in the game if it was bid, dig thru, walk away.  It would be like playing slots.  Sure I bid $1000, dug thru and it was all garbage....I'll hit a good one soon, I'm sure.

But add in dirty, hard work.  Moving. Dump runs.  House full of crap.   
Loose money AND have to work?  F**k that, they say.

I know I'd gamble on more lockers, pay more, if I could just search it and walk away!



It helps in this biz if you have slaves....er...I mean.....children to help you out.   

This weeks estate sales yielding nothing yet again.  Tho I think it was me.   Just wasn't in the buying mood. And it was hot as hell out.  Lotta grumpy people.

First sale really turned me off.   It was just plain gross.  So much the estate company didn't set it.
Just set up a cash register outside and a sign that said "diggers heaven"
Still dirty dishes in sink for god knows how long.  Didn't even want to touch anything!
Then, the family was at checkout in chairs.   As people brought out stuff to get price they would say "that's not for sale" and throw in truck.   Like they were using us to clean out house.
Lotta people pissed cause they listed and pictured guns and when we arrived they said guns weren't for sale....
One guy got so mad that he found a mason jar off silver dollars and he just stuck it in his pocket.
Looked at me and said "f*ck'em.  If they don't want to go thru the stuff....."
Probably coulda scored at this one if I'd been willing to dig but it was to gross.

They did have some awesome big items priced and priced well but not my thing.
Pinball machines and jukeboxes and old turn-of-century iceboxes just way low.

Second wasn't as bad but smelled horrible and prices thru the roof!!
Lot of Harbor Frieght tools, used, at way over what they are new.  Set of wood chisels for $40 that are $29.99 new.  $60 circular saw that Home Depot sells for $40.....
Had a Hoosier Cabinet listed and I've been looking for one and they wanted $495 for it.  Didn't have any original pieces and beat up!   And it ws the tiny one.  Retail, with accessories and cleaned up they go for a touch less than that.

Went to three more and all were just average household items.  Great stuff at great prices if you were shopping for own home but not resale.

My only decent finds were  2 stud finder/laser level for $1/ea.  New are $30
And an entire milk crate of brass pully's for sail boats for $10.  Will shop them around, if cant sell I'll at least get money back in scrap.

So figure unless sailboat stuff turns out to be worth something I'll just about break even with money spent and gas used......

I think in all fairness, I should explain to you exactly what it is that I do. For instance tomorrow morning I'll get up nice and early, take a walk down over to the bank and... walk in and see and, uh... if you don't have my money for me, I'll... crack your f*ckn' head wide-open in front of everybody in the bank. And just about the time that I'm comin' out of jail, hopefully, you'll be coming out of your coma. And guess what? I'll split your f*ckn' head open again. 'Cause I'm f*ckn' stupid. I don't give a f*ck about jail. That's my business. That's what I do.


  two in one day!   

I've shown up 30min early a few times to find it has already taken place or finishing up.
Caravans get done quick at previous facilities or just plain old change of time.


Don't know the law here on signing in but have been to a couple with no sign in. All the big facilities make you sign.
It's all for the benifit of facility and auctioneer so I don't care about signing in.  Sometimes I even skip it if I'm not in a buying mood but want to at least check the units out, just in case.   As long as I have cash to pay no one seems to care much......